Now Full, Now Dark
by thefinalpaige19
Summary: Ichigo was fairly happy with her life... until something huge happened that changed everything she knew. Ichigo has been turned into an alien! How will she deal with all the effects this will have on her life? But Ichigo has been changed for a reason no-one could begin to understand, and she is about to discover just how much she is willing to give up to protect the universe...
1. The Change

**Hi! Welcome to Now Full, Now Dark, my new story. I had this idea on the bus on the way home from school yesterday and I realized how much I needed this to happen. Please enjoy :)**

 **I do not own any of the characters or the world that this story is set in.**

 **xx thefinalpaige19 xx**

 **WARNING: This story gets a little dark around chapter 7. I kept it in teen because it's nothing that you wouldn't see in a YA book or TV show, but sensitive readers might want to choose another fic.**

* * *

Ichigo walked along the beach, her long, autumn jacket billowing out behind her in the breeze. She wore her thick, red hair in her trademark pigtails and a smile was on her face. There was nothing more satisfying than a walk on the beach after a peaceful day. No aliens, no chimeras, no nothing. If she had many more days like this, she'd get lazy!

Of course, the aliens couldn't allow that.

She was half-expecting it when Pai showed up out of nowhere in front of her. She supposed it was too big an ask for the aliens to give her just one stress-free day…

Ichigo sighed and put a hand to her pendant, ready to get this over with. However, this time she didn't feel the usual exhilaration she usually felt when she changed. She just felt empty - human. What had happened? Why couldn't she transform?

"It isn't going to work like that this time, I'm afraid." Pai said, and drew Ichigo's eyes to the Chimera Anima next to him. It didn't look incredibly impressive, it seemed to be some kind of lobster combined with a cat. It might even have been cute, had its eyes not been so soulless. Ichigo knew better than to judge based on appearance, though, and as she was stuck in human form, this creature could be as weak as it liked and Ichigo would still not be able to beat it. She did the only thing she could do.

She ran.

Unfortunately, running through sand always looks a lot easier in television commercials than is is in real life. The creature chasing her had obviously been built for fast motion on the beach, so it caught up to her in no time. The impact of the Chimera Anima had her sprawling into the sand.

 _That's going to leave a bruise_ , she thought. _Provided that I'm still alive enough later for one to form_.

Ichigo wasn't going to go down without a fight. Quickly, she spun over and leapt to her feet. She aimed a kick at the small creature. However, it was too quick for her slow, human reflexes. It dodged, and she lost her balance. She sprawled across the sand. That was the last thing she saw.

* * *

 _No! Be more careful!_

…

 _You think this is hard for us. To even imagine…_

…

 _The fate of all of us is counting on her._

* * *

Ichigo woke strapped to an operating table. Not those old, disgusting ones you see in horror movies. Just the clean ones like at the hospital. The only part of her body she could move was her neck, but a wave of pain crashed into her when she attempted to do so. She wasn't dead, then. Always a plus.

It was then that she saw Pai, looking down at her over a clipboard. "Well done. You survived." He said, looking less than thrilled at the idea.

Ichigo mustered up all the anger and hate she could and directed it at him. "What have you done?" She said, or tried to say. Her voice felt weird, more high-pitched than normal. Pai seemed to understand her.

"I performed an experiment." He responded in a flat voice.

"The subject being?" She inquired, dreading the answer.

"You."

"And what did this experiment consist of?" Ichigo demanded.

"Let's see here." Pai flipped through the stacks of paper in his clipboard. "Ah yes, I decreased your acanthuridae in relation to the balaenoptera acutorostrata of the dasyatis centroura. I kept the apodemus of your sylvaticus the same, but I sharpened the arini in the-"

"In English?" She managed. What on Earth - or whatever planet the aliens were from - had he done to her?

Pai sighed. "Honestly, your silly human minds-" He caught himself mid-sentence and stopped talking. That was weird.

"What have you done?" Ichigo tried to lift her head to look him in the eye.

"What we've done." He repeated. "Ichigo Momomiya, you are no longer a member of the human race." He paused. "You are an alien."

Time seemed to stop, everything slowing around her. Not that there was much moving already anyway. Just Pai, his eyes narrowing, gauging her reaction.

And, of all the responses Ichigo could have given him, she chose the most insane one. She began to laugh.

There was almost pity in Pai's eyes as she laughed so hard her sides hurt. "You're kidding right? I'm an alien. So what - I can fly now? Next thing you'll be telling me I'm half-cat! Oh wait, I already am!" Her giggles grew at her joke, threatening to swallow her up.

"Actually, no you're not. DNA can only be re-shaped so many times before it breaks. The part of you that was Mew Ichigo has been reduced to a size small enough to be inconsequential. You are now only Ichigo Momomiya."

This new piece of information only increased her laughter, turning her hysterical. Her mind refused to wrap itself around it. "So yesterday I was a cat, but today I'm an alien - dear me, my life sure is interesting."

It didn't take long for her giggles to dissolve into tears. Pai just sat there watching, occasionally noting things down on his clipboard. Ichigo couldn't care less about what he was doing, her mind too focuses on her own woes. Would her friends, the Mews, still accept her? Would she even see them again? What about Aoyama-kun?

"Now that you have calmed down a bit, would you like to see what changes you can look forward to?" Pai said after a while.

"Not particularly." Ichigo said, sniffling. She didn't care about anything at all. Besides, it's not like she would have a choice, strapped to the table.

As expected, Pai ignored her. "Your mass has decreased by about 50%, allowing for easier flight. Your eyes can see more, and your skin is more sensitive. This will be overwhelming for a few days, but you will become used to it. You can teleport, though this is a skill that will take years to perfect. Your immune system-"

"I want to go home." Ichigo interrupted him, not caring that she sounded like a petulant child.

"I'm afraid that that is impossible. As I was saying…" Pai brushed her off and continued reciting his list of things that made her a freak, _no longer human_.

What had he said about teleporting? She couldn't remember, but if she was going to be cursed with… _this_ , then she might as well get something out of it. She concentrated on where she wanted to go. Maybe it would come naturally to her, like being a Mew did… _being a Mew…._

Pai noticed something wrong and looked up in time to see Ichigo teleport. She saw the panicked look on his face, and then saw nothing at all.

* * *

" _Shit._ " Pai cursed, slamming his fist down on where Ichigo Momomiya had been moments ago. How could she have been so _stupid_? Teleporting, after having been an alien for mere hours.

He supposed, if anyone could survive this, it would be Ichigo. The girl had been the strongest of the Mews, and able to withstand attack after attack. There was no precedent for something like this. He had no idea what she could or couldn't do. The thought was terrifying.

"Pai?" Taruto walked into the room. "I thought you were talking to the old hag. Where is she?"

"I was." He growled. "She teleported away."

The shock on Taruto's face was clear. "But- That's not possible!"

"Well clearly it is possible, because it just happened!" Pai yelled at Taruto, then immediately felt bad. It wasn't Taruto's fault that Ichigo Momomiya was gone, it was Pai's. "Send Kisshu out to search for her. We must find her." He looked directly into Taruto's eyes. "The fate of this world, and all worlds, may very well depend on it."

* * *

Ichigo stared at her new self in her bedroom mirror. Even though she wasn't Mew Ichigo - and would never be again - strawberry pink hair framed her face and rested on her eyes. Her eyes - those were pink as well. That must have been a part of _her_ DNA, not those given to her by being a Mew. Her skin was tear-streaked, but a whole lot paler than it used to be. It highlighted her eyes - now a lot brighter and more noticeable than before. New ears poked out from underneath her hair. They curved gently, then came to a point. She hated them.

She hadn't tried to fly yet. That would be too much - a reminder of the horrible fact. The fact that she wasn't human. She continued to repeat this to herself - _you're not human you're not human you're not human_ \- but it didn't get any easier to believe.

Her parents were probably worried sick. By some miracle she had managed to teleport herself to her room, when she had locked the door to keep away her parents. How was she going to hide her neon eyes - not to mention her bright pink hair!

She couldn't explain this to anyone. No-one would understand. Her parents and school friends didn't believe in aliens. The Mews fought aliens on a daily basis. And Aoyama-kun…

Not worth thinking about. Ichigo did the only thing she could do. She slipped on a hoodie to mask her hair - sunglasses for her eyes - and slipped out the window into the cold, dark street.

* * *

 **That was really fun to write! Let me know what you think by leaving a review. (And don't worry, Kisshu will be in the next chapter, promise)**


	2. The Fear

**Hi again! Welcome back to Now Full, Now Dark. Please enjoy :)**

 **I do not own any of the characters or the world this story is set in.**

 **xx thefinalpaige19 xx**

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 **Reviews:**

 **MoonLight2night:** Hi! While I'm flattered that you think my story is good enough for a comic, I honestly don't know anything about them so I can't answer that right now. Please enjoy the rest of the story :)

 **DrDark7:** I'm glad you're enjoying it. I have a few exciting things planned for the future so I hope you'll stick around...

 **James Birdsong** : Hi! Super happy you're enjoying it. Thanks for reviewing :D

 **Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! Now, here's the story:**

* * *

Ichigo pulled her hoodie lower over her face as she slipped through the dark alleyways of Tokyo. It was a dark night, but thankfully it wasn't raining. That would be just what she needed right now, to be tired, hungry _and_ wet.

Strangely, though, she wasn't cold, even though she could see frost gathering in the corners of windows. Must be an alien "perk". That would explain why the aliens always wore so little clothing, even in Winter. She supposed that she should enjoy what little she got out of this, as if anything could compare to what she had lost...

Every noise, from a stray cat going through a nearby house's rubbish to a tired citizen turning their lights off, boomed in her head, giving her a massive headache. She could see too much - each little speck of dust on the pavement beneath her - and not enough. How could you see the whole picture if you keep getting distracted by specks of dust in the wind?

Ichigo had taken some money that she had saved up from her job at Café Mew Mew, however she couldn't get a hotel. Her parents would have reported her missing and if she showed her face or signed anything she would be found immediately. She didn't know what to do. _Why_ had she thought this why a good idea again?

 _Oh yeah, because Pai turned me into a neon-colored alien from outer space,_ she reminded herself.

He right hand absently played with the pendant at her throat. She had tried a thousand times to transform into Mew Ichigo, but without luck. It seemed that Pai had been telling the truth.

Noticing a bakery on the left hand side of the street, Ichigo bought herself some bread. It wasn't the best quality - she wasn't exactly in the best area of the city - but it would suffice. The man behind the counter looked very annoyed at being disturbed so late at night, so she quickly escaped and hurried along, eating the bread as she went.

The bread didn't cure her hunger. It was weird, she had only been gone for a few hours and her stomach was demanding that she ate something. She contemplated going back to the bakery, but decided against it. She couldn't waste all her money in the first night, anyway. With a glum look on her face, she marched on into the bitter night.

* * *

Lettuce's anxious feelings grew more and more as the day went on and Ichigo didn't show up for work.

"She's so lazy!" Mint vented as she scrubbed a table left behind by a particularly messy customer. Normally, Ichigo would have done this, but as she was not here the burden fell to Mint. It was clear that Mint wasn't happy about this, and Lettuce thought it was probably safer for Ichigo to stay gone than to show up with Mint in this mood.

"Have any of you seen Ichigo?" Ryou demanded after coming in and seeing that Ichigo was still not there.

"No. She's probably just off sleeping somewhere." Mint replied nastily. But instead of agreeing with her, Ryou's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Lettuce asked, worried.

"There was alien activity yesterday, but it appeared and disappeared quickly, before we could get a hold of it." Ryou said. "I think the aliens might be up to something."

Mint lost her smirk. "You think something might happen to Ichigo?" she asked, switching her gaze between Ryou and Lettuce.

"No," Ryou shook his head. "I think something already has."

* * *

How could he have been so _stupid_? It was his fault that Ichigo was gone. Kisshu's eyes frantically scanned the area as he zipped through the dark streets of Tokyo.

He hadn't been able to force himself to watch when Pai performed the operation on her. Kisshu knew, he _did_ know, that the operation was necessary. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Ichigo would never forgive him for this.

If only he hadn't been so weak, he could have stopped her from going. Ichigo didn't know what she was doing, or the extent of her powers. If she wanted to, she could wipe Tokyo off the map. She could raise hell and bring the world crashing to its knees, and she was wandering around in the dark.

Kisshu had already checked her house. Her room was empty, though it looked like it had been searched. Her parents must have called the police.

He'd also checked Café Mew Mew, and it looked like she hadn't been there either. The Mews were closing up, but they looked more annoyed than murderous. He didn't know how they would react when they saw Ichigo like this, whether or not they would stop seeing her as a friend and start seeing her as a foe. A wave of guilt crashed into him as he thought of everything they had taken from her. Everything _he_ had taken from her.

Pai and Taruto were also out looking for Ichigo. While she was more powerful than them, she couldn't know that yet and that would make it easy for them to catch her. Secretly, though, Kisshu hoped they didn't find her. They would have to attack her to get her to come. If Ichigo started seeing them as the enemy, everything would fall apart. If Kisshu found her, maybe he could convince her to come with him without using force.

Even so, he would use force if he had to. This mission was too important.

He caught a glimpse of pink darting around a corner in front of him. So quick, human eyes probably wouldn't have been able to see it. He hovered closer, not letting her see him yet.

His breath caught. Thanks to Pai, he hadn't been able to see Ichigo yet as an alien. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Becoming an alien had enhanced her features, her hair and eyes were the most beautiful shade of pink, and her lips…

He had to focus. If he just walked up to her, she would run away. He had to get her to listen to him.

Unfortunately, as his feet touched the ground, a precariously balanced pebble rolled away. Ichigo tensed up, her new alien ears making this sound louder than it should have been. She glanced behind her, seeing him before he had the chance to hide himself. In a flash she was sprinting away from him as fast as she could. _Shit_.

Ichigo's new speed made her a lot faster than she was before, but it was still no match for flying. Kisshu barreled into her, knocking her down onto the ground. He pressed his body over hers, making sure that she wasn't in any pain but was still unable to get up. This didn't stop her from trying, and she struggled under him.

"Please, stop, Ichigo. I only want to talk." He begged her. She slowed her movements but was still very tense. Taking this as a sign that she wouldn't run away, he stood up and held his hand out to her. She ignored it and stood up on her own. Of course.

"What do you want?" Her voice was different, though he couldn't pinpoint how. The words came out wrongly, as if she had difficulty speaking. Likely the fault of her new fangs.

"Do you know what's been done?" I asked her. Of course she knew, but he wasn't sure how to start the conversation. If he asked her to come with him she'd starting running again, but this time she wouldn't stop. No - he had to be careful and tread lightly.

Ichigo nodded hesitantly, not letting her guard down. He doubted he'd be able to tackle her again.

"I can help you." Kisshu said. "I can show you how to fly, teleport. How to use your senses without being overwhelmed." No doubt she had been struggling with this. Humans' senses were so poor, it would be like living under a rock your whole life and then trying to see.

Ichigo's didn't look him in the eye. "Why?"

"I want to help you," he responded immediately. "Please, let me help-" He tried to take her hand but she stepped back.

"No. Why did you do- Why did you do this?" Ichigo asked. He couldn't tell her the truth. It would intimidate her, the things she must do… No. Better to lie.

"I- I didn't know about it." He said, the deception feeling bitter in his mouth. "It was Pai and Taruto - Deep Blue commanded them to." He hated to sell out his partners like this. But it was his only choice. He had to get Ichigo to trust him. Their fate depended on it.

* * *

Ichigo assessed Kisshu's face. Now that she was an alien, she could see all the minute details. That little crinkle in his left eye when he was hopeful. The way he fought to keep his lips steady when he was truly sorry. Like now.

She couldn't stay here, she knew that. A young girl on the streets of downtown Tokyo wouldn't last a week. She didn't have a choice. Then again, what the aliens might do to her if she went with him - what they had already done - might be worse.

But above all those reasons, she genuinely trusted Kisshu. She would never have thought that the alien had a remorseful bone in his bone, but the way he looked at her now…

Besides, Kisshu wouldn't like to her. Would he?

* * *

Ichigo looked suspicious for a moment, and then her expression relaxed. She nodded. Clearly, she was trying to avoid speaking. Kisshu offered her his hand, and she took it hesitantly. He created a portal back to their dimension and attempted to smile at Ichigo before pulling them both through.

* * *

 **Next chapter - More aliens! Hope you enjoyed - leave me a review below to let me know what you think ;D**


	3. The Magic

**Hello and welcome back, readers! Last chapter, Ichigo was on her way to the aliens' dimension. Here is chapter 3!**

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 **Reviews:**

 **DrDark7:** Just you wait... :P

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Ichigo watched Kisshu send a message to Pai's and Taruto's pagers to let them know that he had found her. They were the only things the aliens had found so far that could send messages across dimensions. At least, that's what Kisshu had told her.

He finished and looked up. Ichigo looked away. "What now?" she asked.

She was interrupted by her stomach growling. She turned red and looked down.

"What have you eaten today?" Kisshu asked.

"Some bread," Ichigo responded. "I'm fine, it's-"

"No. That won't do you any good. Human food doesn't provide any sustenance for us. Come with me." Kisshu began to walk off, and Ichigo follow him, glad for something to do. She didn't want to just wait there for Pai and Taruto to arrive. She was still trying to convince herself not to kill them when they got there.

They arrived at the kitchen. "Instant noodles?" offered Kisshu.

"Noodles are alien food?" Ichigo asked.

"Noodles are universal." Kisshu responded with a smile.

He had just begun to boil the water when Ichigo felt, rather than saw, a ripple pass through the air, a dissonance in the aura of the room. Seconds later, Pai and Taruto appeared out of thin air. A wave of pure, unadulterated fury swept over her.

* * *

Kisshu looked up to wave at Taruto and Pai when a pink blur sped across the room.

"No! Ichigo!" He called, too late.

Ichigo collided with Pai at speeds that Kisshu, even with his alien sight, could only barely see. They both went flying, until Pai inevitably crashed into the wall on the far side of the room. He fell down onto the floor, his head sagging like a rag-doll's. A huge dent now remained in the wall.

Ichigo looked ready to strike again, until she saw that Pai wasn't moving. Her hands started shaking. Clearly, she hadn't yet realised how much new power she had as an alien. She fled the room. He knew he should follow her, she would get lost. Their dimension was confusing, and with the state of mind she was in there would be no doubt that she would get lost.

He went to check on Pai first. He should let Ichigo calm down before she saw him anyway. Kisshu doubted that there was any lasting damage, aliens were too strong to be killed by one blow. If she had wanted to kill him, however, if she hadn't been acting on blind rage… Had they made Ichigo too powerful?

"Witch!" Taruto called out to where Ichigo had disappeared, before hurrying to Pai. Kisshu checked his pulse - still breathing. Pai was only injured.

"He'll be fine." Confirmed Kisshu. He went to the boiling water and added the noodles while Taruto checked for blood on the back of Pai's head. Hopefully, if he brought food then Ichigo wouldn't rip his head off.

"Why the hell did she do that?" Taruto burst out.

"I don't know. Maybe because Pai stripped her of Mew Ichigo, forced her to change species and isolated her from her friends and family. That would probably do it." Kisshu didn't mean to be sarcastic with Taruto, but he couldn't help himself. He wasn't too happy with the situation either.

"But she was totally fine with you before we got here!" Taruto responded immediately, a confused look on his face. Kisshu thought back to his lie with a grimace.

"I… might have told her that I had nothing to do with it and that it was all your idea." Kisshu said after a pause.

"Kisshu!" Taruto screeched.

"Well what was I supposed to do, huh?" Kisshu yelled. "She has to trust one of us, or we'll never get her to-"

"Could you two keep it down?" Pai muttered, his eyes twitching.

"Pai!" Taruto sped to his side to help him up, immediately forgetting what Kisshu and he were talking about. Kisshu thanked The Ancients for the small miracles. He left Pai to Taruto while he went to find Ichigo.

* * *

Ichigo didn't know how she'd managed to find her room. She'd just felt a longing - it was like a string attached to her chest. It knew where she needed to go and led her there.

A noise made her look up. "Noodles?" Kisshu held out a bowl, the ghost of a hopeful half-smile on his face.

She didn't mention being able to find her room to Kisshu because she sensed that magically _knowing_ something wasn't a common alien superpower. She just nodded and took the bowl from him.

"How did you find your room?" Kisshu asked, his eyebrows raising.

Ichigo fluttered. "I… Uh… This is my room?" She decided to play it dumb, even though she knew, she _knew_ that this room was intended for her. She felt a smile come to her mouth at the thought of Kisshu setting a room for her in this dimension. It made the foreign place feel a little more… a little more like home.

And that's what it was now, she supposed. _Home_. She had nothing in the humans' realm anymore. Humans… how quickly she had come to the realization that she no longer belonged under the classification "human".

"Yeah…" Kisshu responded after a pause. Heat flared in her cheeks, it didn't look like he was buying her act. After a minute he said, "So… you wanna talk?"

 _About what?_ Ichigo almost said, then caught herself. Oh right, Pai. A flush of shame crawled over her at having forgotten so easily, then a flush of anger. Why should _she_ feel sorry for what she had done to Pai? He deserved to suffer, for what he had done to _her_. Ichigo felt her temper heating up, and she needed to go out there - she need to hurt - _to kill_ Pai. She felt herself getting up, walking towards the door. The edges of her vision blurred.

"Ichigo! What are you doing?" A voice distracted her from her goal. Kisshu's blurry face came into her vision.

"What am I doing…" she repeated slowly. What _had_ she been doing? Kisshu's hand touched her arm, then quickly leaped away. He swore.

"Your skin is burning hot!" He said, shaking his hand.

"I- I'm sorry." stammered Ichigo. Was this an alien thing? This… rage? It was unlikely, at least from the look on Kisshu's face.

"I'm fine," Kisshu said, distractedly. "Get dressed, then come with me. We need to find out what you can do."

* * *

Ichigo searched her closet, finding clothes similar to Kisshu's - but in pink. There was a top that bared her midriff and a short skirt - she supposed that Kisshu had meant her to wear these. She imagined him, picking out clothes that were easier on her sensitive alien skin and smiled at the thought. Pink was as good a color-scheme as any.

She was surprised that the clothes fit her perfectly and were far more comfortable than her regular clothes.

 _It can't be Kisshu who chose these clothes, he told me that he didn't know about this._ Ichigo thought. _It must have been Pai._ Ichigo wrinkled her nose at the thought, the clothes suddenly seeming less wonderful. It didn't matter, anyway. Ichigo hated all aliens - no matter if Kisshu had been kind to her. She'd only gone to them because she had no other options.

Right?

* * *

"Find it, search your mind." Kisshu was trying to teach Ichigo to summon her weapon. Every alien had a weapon that they could summon, assigned at birth. He would have gotten Pai to do this, he was always better at it - Pai had taught Kisshu to summon his dragon swords and Taruto to summon his click-clack toy - but then there was that issue with Ichigo going into a blind rage every time she thought about him.

That was as terrifying as it was interesting, Kisshu had never see anyone get angry as quickly as Ichigo had.

But that was a problem for another time. For now, a faint, concentrated look was on Ichigo's face. It disappeared, and her arms lifted with no effort from her. Her head fell back, and a mist appeared between her hands, growing, molding itself.

Until it formed an elegantly carved rose bow and a quiver filled with arrows covered in sparkling designs. The little 'oh' shape her mouth formed when she saw these pieces of art appear out of nowhere was serene. Her weapon matched her perfectly.

Only one thing was surprising - Kisshu checked the time. Yes, only 10 minutes had passed. The shortest time he'd ever seen taken to summon an alien's first weapon previously was two hours… amazing.

"Are you _sure_ you've never summoned your weapon before?" he asked her, only half-joking. She didn't respond, but instead took an arrow and drew her bow, pointing at the air. The movement was flawless, as if she had done it a thousand times before. Kisshu beckoned her and led her to their training room. Over there, there were multiple targets for practice. Pai had insisted that the aliens learn archery, as well as fencing, judo and zorbing. ' _You never know what might happen'_ he'd said.

Thinking about Pai made Kisshu wonder how he was doing, and how he was going to react to this new information about Ichigo's anger. Probably a bunch of tests. He toyed with the notion of just not telling Pai, but decided against it. They needed to be totally open with each other, the risks were too great. The cost if this went wrong…

Ichigo raised her bow and pointed the artfully designed tip of the arrow at the target. She let out a breath and released it at the same time as her arrow. It flew straight and true into the center of the target, of course. It would have been impossible for her to miss. This was the weapon her soul had chosen, the one that called to her spirit. It would have been weirder for her _not_ to have been instantly good at it.

Ichigo turned to him with smiles in her eyes and Kisshu surprised himself by wrapping her up in a hug. She tensed, then relaxed and leaned into him, closing her eyes.

"Well done," he whispered against her bubble-gum pink hair and wished, more than anything, that he could stay in this moment forever.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **P.S. According to my spellchecker "zorbing" is not a word in America. They use the word "globe-riding" (I think). Americans, leave me a review so I can know if this is right!**


	4. The Power

**I had the song "Human" by Christina Perri stuck in my head the whole time I was writing this chapter, which is ironic because its subject is the opposite of this story :P**

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 **Reviews:**

 **DrDark7 and James Birdsong, thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows. You really inspire me to continue writing!**

* * *

"You ready?" Kisshu asked as he and Ichigo stood on the edge of the cliff.

"No." Ichigo replied back instantly.

"Good," Kisshu said, before leaping off the cliff with Ichigo. This was faster than he'd wanted, learning to fly took time, but there was no time to waste. Hopefully, with this method, he could shock her into flying. It wouldn't be easy… but who said it couldn't be fun?

Kisshu zoomed low, parallel to the water in the sparkling ocean, with Ichigo in his arms. He took a breath and then was soaring upwards. Ichigo made a slight, surprised sound, her arms tightening around his neck. Kisshu chuckled.

"You think you can do this on your own?" He asked.

"No." Ichigo said, appearing to be unable to say anything else.

"Well then I hope you don't have a fear of heights," Kisshu responded, the only warning before shooting upwards as fast as he could go. Ichigo would kill him for this later, and he would probably deserve it, but he turned up-side down anyway. Ichigo held onto him for dear life.

"Had enough yet?" Kisshu asked her teasingly.

"Yes! Wait… no!" But it was too late. Kisshu dropped her.

Ichigo flailed about in the air, falling as she did so.

"Fly! Ichigo! The air isn't your enemy!" He called, but the only sound was Ichigo cursing him as she fell into the waves.

She reappeared moments later, her fury not marring the perfect features of her face. Kisshu laughed.

"Get me out of here!" Ichigo yelled, sputtering in the water.

"I'm afraid you'll have to catch me first!" Kisshu called, flying low to the surface. If he could incite her, get her to use her anger to boost her powers, that could be the starting point.

A half-concentrated, half-frustrated look appeared on Ichigo's face. That was the only warning Kisshu had before a wind almost knocked him down into the waves. It seemed that all the air headed towards Ichigo as she solidified it into a platform. He watched as she, shakily at first, began to rise out of the water - straight towards him.

"You are _in for it_ now, Kisshu!" Ichigo said, before zooming towards him at impossible speeds. She rammed into him, making him lose his balance and control. He fell down, shocked, into the waves. He hadn't expected this to happen so soon. He had thought he would get a few more hours of Ichigo cursing him from the water.

Now, it appeared that it was the opposite. He was the one sputtering in the waves while Ichigo giggling from above. He splashed water at her, before reaching up and grabbing her by the wrist. He used her surprise to pull her into the ocean with him.

Ichigo resurfaced, grinning wide.

"Race?" she challenged.

"To where?" Kisshu responded.

"Anywhere. Go!" Ichigo shot out of the water with Kisshu hot on her heels. She did a loop, sprinkling drops of water off her pale body. She was fast, but she didn't know the tricks yet. Kisshu streamlined his body, making himself as small as possible to increase speed. Even so, he was only barely matching Ichigo's pace. Ichigo didn't even seem to be tiring, her peals of laughter barely audible over the sound of wind rushing past his ears.

They came to a stop, both thoroughly soaked and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He was surprised to find that they were holding hands.

"Ichigo I-" Kisshu was interrupted by an interupting cough on his left. He turned to see an unimpressed Pai.

"If you two were finished with the eye-sex, there are some… _things_ we should discuss," Pai said mirthlessly, giving a direct look to Kisshu, who had stopped laughing.

Ichigo did the floating equivalent of a step away from him, now able to hold herself up. He missed her warmth immediately. He was friendly enough with Pai and Taruto, but Ichigo brought something to his life that had been missing for too long.

Pai didn't wait for them to muster up a stuttered retort, instead turning his back with a snort and glided back to land. That was the thing about Pai, he was always so precise, both in flying and life. He never drifted, never fell. No, he _glided_ and he _flew_. He had so much control over whatever he was doing.

Kisshu and Ichigo had no choice other than to follow after him, as much as he wished that he could spend a few more minutes with the sparkling waves and the sparkling smile that only appeared whenever Ichigo was truly happy.

* * *

"I trust that she knows how to fly and teleport perfectly?" Pai said, addressing Kisshu without looking up.

"Yes," Ichigo said, at the same time as Kisshu burst out "What? No!"

"I am here, you know. Show a little respect." Ichigo told Pai indignantly.

"Of course," Pai stared witheringly at Ichigo, making her regret not leaving the talking to Kisshu. "Can you teleport, or not?" He said, fixing her with his harsh, cold glare.

Ichigo had tried to teleport before, back when she was strapped to the table after Pai…

 _No. Don't think about that. Control your anger. Use it,_ she told herself.

The last time she'd tried, she'd gone exactly where she had wanted. She glimpsed Kisshu's anxious face in the corner of her eye. It almost annoyed her, but then she realized: It wasn't that Kisshu didn't think she could do it, he was just too worried about what _might_ happen to her if she didn't succeed. He was just being caring. The thought made her smile, and she channeled that energy into the swirl of power forcing it's way though her veins. She embraced it.

The last time Ichigo had teleported, she'd been panicked, and she had rushed the whole procedure. Now that she was welcoming the power, it was different. It was… exhilarating. She could get addicted to it, if she lost herself in that energy. She forged a link between where she was and the other side of the room. No… further. She could see the whole dimension, mapped out before her. Just lines and shades, bendable. She created the bond between herself and the next room, then added to it, with every ounce of power she could draw from her endless supply. It was a gateway, and she passed through it, marveling at its intricacies and detail.

Ichigo opened her eyes, the room was pretty much the same (all the rooms here were) but Pai and Kisshu were gone. She heard a thud in the previous room.

She went to the door, and saw Kisshu and Pai, flat on their backs. It looked as if something had knocked them down.

"Ichigo?" Kisshu said dizzily, sitting up. "That was… a shock."

"Indeed." Pai agreed stonily. "You appear to have electrocuted everything within a 3-mile radius."

"Oh," Ichigo was suddenly embarrassed. Then she remembered-

"What the HELL was that?" Screeched a child with angry eyes and hair stood up on end. He paused when he saw Ichigo. "Hag," Taruto acknowledged.

"Brat." She replied. Taruto turned, dismissing her.

"Now who just electrified me and made me fall from 20 feet?" Taruto demanded. Kisshu simply gestured to Ichigo while Pai calmly wrote on his clipboard.

"Interesting… can stop other aliens… from using their powers." Pai mumbled to himself. Taruto ignored him and turned to Ichigo with none of the scorn from before.

"You can electrify things?" He said, awe filling his eyes.

"Uh, yes?" This was a new side of Taruto. Ichigo had never seen him without brat-mode on 100%.

"Show me! Do what you did again!" Kisshu opened his mouth to protest, despite having stayed silent for most of this conversation. But Ichigo was too eager to feel the power rushing through her, to bend and forge and break the dimensions again. She closed her eyes and felt the magic rise up in her chest almost instantly, begging to be released. She was about to teleport herself across the room when a thought struck her. Why should the link be tied to her? She had only been setting Point B on the map, Point A being set to herself by default. But if she moved it…

Success! Taruto was now standing across the room and in his place a confused Kisshu. She hadn't dared to move Pai, who had given up on speaking his observations out loud and was frantically scribbling in his clipboard.

Unfortunately, it appeared that one could not use that much power without side-affects. Ichigo felt her legs go weak as a heaviness setting over her mind, clouding her thoughts and blurring her mind. She thought she saw a flash of green hair before comforting arms lifted her and carried her to sleep.

* * *

Ichigo woke in a bed far more comfortable than usual. She looked up and saw Kisshu.

"Kisshu?" She said.

No response. He was asleep. Apparently even aliens took naps sometimes, which was hard to imagine considering all the work they made the Mews do at all hours. Thinking of the Mews dulled her shining memory of the day. What would they think of her now? Flying and teleporting and being totally comfortable even when asleep and helpless in the same room as an alien. These queasy thoughts entered her head and nestled in her stomach.

Ichigo decided not to wake Kisshu. She didn't want to talk to him.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Remember to review, favourite and follow!**


	5. The Betrayal

**Okay, I was** _ **planning**_ **to leave this one for another chapter, but I honestly couldn't help myself. Enjoy!**

 **P.S. You may have noticed some OCs in this one. Don't worry, I hate OCs too and they won't be in the story much. I just felt that they were necessary as the story gets more complicated here.**

* * *

One week. That's how long it had been since Ichigo had stepped foot on Earth. Funny to think that she'd never left it for the first thirteen years of her life. It seemed so distant, like a dream.

She and Kisshu had been growing closer over the past few days. _That_ certainly wasn't something she had thought she'd ever think.

Ichigo was also more used to her new alien clothes. She couldn't imagine wearing _jeans_ right now. So uncomfortable. How could she have _liked_ them when she was a human? Weird.

How quickly she had come to identify as an alien. Classifying the humans as 'weird' and the aliens as 'normal'. It took more and more effort each day to remind herself that she wasn't like them. She wasn't like anyone, not anymore. Even when she had been changed into a Mew, she had people fighting by her side. She missed that.

No time to dwell on that. Hand-to-hand combat was what Kisshu was teaching her today. _Why_ she needed to learn fighting was beyond her, but when you hadn't a friend in the world, (sorry, worlds), she figured it couldn't hurt.

"Ichigo!" Kisshu said as she entered the training room. "You're early. I don't supposed you just wanted to see me?" He raised his eyebrows mock-flirtatiously.

"You wish, moron." She replied back. They had been interacting like this for days. Ever since that moment they'd had over on the ocean, she hadn't known how to act. Kisshu teasing and Ichigo brushing him off just came naturally to both of them. She wished they could just have a sincere conversation, but if Ichigo got everything she wished for then she wouldn't be there.

"What's up first?" Ichigo asked.

"This." Kisshu rushed her, knocking her onto the mat behind her that Ichigo hadn't noticed when she'd walked in. He landed on top of her.

"Oof." Ichigo grunted. "What was that for?"

Kisshu had landed on top of her. "Surprise attacks. You need to be able to defend against them. Besides, I like the ending position." he smiled suggestively.

Ichigo groaned and pushed him off to the side. He almost looked disappointed, and Ichigo felt bad before he smiled.

"Worth a shot." Kisshu said, and shrugged. "Anyway, the most important part is-" he was cut off by a knock at the door.

It was followed by three aliens whom Ichigo had never met. The first one smiled at her, before turning to Kisshu.

"Kisshu! _Mon ami_ , It has been too long!" He said, with an obviously French accent. He glanced surreptitiously at Ichigo before looking away and saying quietly. " _Elle est d'accord avec ça, alors? C'est bizarre, je-_ "

" _Je ne l'ai pas encore dit ! Et toi, tu ne vas pas non plus. Tôt_." Kisshu responded furiously.

Ichigo was at a loss. "You speak French?" she asked Kisshu surprised.

"It's one of my many talents." He said with a wink, but his heart wasn't in it. It looked like something was bothering him. Ichigo dismissed it.

She looked at the other aliens. One was a shy looking girl, about Ichigo's age. She had her hair tied back in pigtails with those iconic alien bonds. Ichigo had refused to wear them, though her hair fell in her eyes she saw it as a statement saying that she was not fully alien.

The other alien was tall and looked around Pai's age, same as the French one from before. He had a humorous look to his eyes but at the same time, distant. He looked guilty about something.

"Ichigo, this is Lucien," Kisshu said, waving a hand at the French alien. "Maria and Thaddeus." All of his good humor from before was gone. Something was definitely bothering him.

"I suggest we seek another place where we can sit down and… talk." Thaddeus said.

* * *

"I've heard that you've been teaching Ichigo." Thaddeus noted. Kisshu had never liked Thaddeus. Way too serious. Thaddeus had always seemed to have it out for Kisshu as well, though he had no idea why.

"Have you deciphered any more of it?" Thaddeus inquired.

"Deciphered any more of what?" Ichigo asked, confusion clear on her face. Kisshu didn't have any doubt that this conversation would end badly for him. Still, though, he tried.

"Now, I don't think we need to-" He said, frantically trying to think of a way to end this before it begun.

" _Nom de Dieu ! Elle va le savoir tôt. Pourquoi s'embêter?_ " Lucien interjected him. _Christ! She will know soon. Why bother?_

Why bother? Kisshu was bothering because for the first time, Ichigo was finally opening up to him. She finally had a reason to trust him, and this would blow that all away.

Even so. Living a lie was draining on him. Seeing Ichigo look at him, not knowing the part that he played, that he had in orchestrating this mess.

He could do it, he supposed. He could continue to lie to her. But at what cost?

With a heavy heart, he relented. "Tell her."

He savoured the look on Ichigo's face. The last time she would look at him with what could be called a smile. _"No!"_ he almost yelled. He'd thought he would have more time…

Of course, Thaddeus was carrying the scroll on him. The prophecy, told by The Ancient One. The prophecy with Ichigo in it. Thaddeus cleared his throat and began to speak.

 _First, the lover from afar, hidden beneath a cover of deceit_

 _Second, the third roseate arrow, hands over heartbeat_

 _Sans caution, sans care, give in to inhumanity and appetency_

 _Let ne'er asunder, for fate of us all, until expiry_

 _Let ne'er the danger triumph, together forfend_

 _Until the rift between barriers and hearts amend_

 _A choice to give or take, a choice to end or grow_

 _A world hanging in immortalised hands, a debt to eternally owe_

 _Forever grow in strength, until their forever vale_

 _Once again home, though many shalt bewail_

Kisshu watched Ichigo's features slowly deflate as Thaddeus's grating voice echoed around the large room. Maria cringed backward.

As soon as he was finished, everyone looked up at Ichigo, anticipating her reaction.

She wrinkled her nose. "What the hell does that mean?"

Thaddeus responded immediately. " _The third roseate arrow._ Your last name, broken in half - Momo and Miya. Momo means peach and Miya means three arrows. Roseate is an uncommon synonym for peach, the color. The hands over heartbeat part likely means that you're concealing something. I don't suppose you could give us any hints?" He looked at her hopefully.

Ichigo still looked shocked. "Um… No. I don't believe I can."

"The first line we cannot figure out yet, though we have reason to believe that whoever it prophesises is in this dimension."

Understanding dawned on Ichigo's face, followed by lethal rage.

"So you're telling me that, just because my last name was deciphered in some stupid Rube Goldberg reasoning, you turned me into an alien, ripped me from my dimension - and for what, exactly? To bridge some rift between barriers and hearts that sounds like it was made up for the next book of _Game of Thrones_?"

Thaddeus, not understanding the threat behind her words, spoke up. "Actually, the reasoning isn't that ludicrous. Many prophecies are words in such a way in order to prevent-"

"Wait a minute…" Ichigo said, ignoring him. Thaddeus's voice died out. Ichigo turned on Kisshu. "You knew!"

This was the moment he'd been dreading.

"So… what? That was a lie? When you told me you had nothing to do with by being turned. _"It was all Pai and Taruto"_ I think I recall you saying?" Her eyes were dark and focused on his.

Each word struck Kisshu like a physical blow. How could he answer this?

There was no need. Ichigo didn't give him time to stutter out a feeble excuse to bring more shame on himself. She stalked out of the room, leaving only silence and regret.

* * *

" _Ma chère_? May I come in?" Ichigo heard the silky voice of Lucien through her doorway. She was tempted to slide a chair under the doorknob, but she decided not to, realizing that that would be childish.

Lucien opened the door and paused when he saw the state of the room. Most of the furniture was broken, and Ichigo had made sure that everything was in the wrong place. If you're going to have a temper tantrum, you might as well do it right. At least she was finally figuring out her "potential", or whatever it was that Kisshu had wanted her to do.

She scoffed. _Kisshu_. She had thought that he wanted to help her. Now she knew - he just wanted her to play her part in this _stupid_ prophecy.

"I came here to talk about the prophecy." Lucien said. _Damn_.

"Look, Lucien, I really don't want to be rude-"

"I don't think that you especially care." Lucien replied, before sitting down.

"Okay, fine, maybe I _do_ want to be rude. But, to be fair-"

"I think," he continued, as if he hadn't heard me, "That you're hurt, and you're lashing out as the person closest to you."

"Okay, that's total-"

" _I_ think," he interrupted her again, "That you have people who care for you, and you're looking for things to be angry about."

"You took me from the people who care for me!" Ichigo screamed, not caring how it looked. "You took _everything_ from me!"

"I was not talking about your friends back on Earth."

Lucien paused, sensing that he was not going to get anywhere. "The prophecy." He changed the subject abruptly.

Ichigo was glad, she could not stand to hear another word about lying, scheming _Kisshu_.

"Do you understand what it means?" He asked. Ichigo shook her head.

Lucien sighed and stood up to start pacing. "Haven't you ever wondered why Pai, Kisshu and Taruto were sent to Earth?" He asked, rhetorically. "There was once a lowly alien named Abaya." The name sent a ripple through the energy of the room, a presence Ichigo was now used to. She could have sworn that Lucien's hand shook, as if saying that name caused him pain.

"He lived in the villages with the other poorer people, who the royals would come and torment. Frequently." Lucien seemed sad when he said this, as if he had experience with it.

"But Abaya was not content to live like this, so one day, he went and challenged the king's son to a duel. Winning this duel would give him immense wealth, which he planned to use to help his people.

"The king's son could have laughed in his face and had him executed, Abaya had no rights, but he was intrigued." Lucien shook his head.

"The king's son took Abaya in, trained him, befriended him. Everyone knew the story of the young pauper who rose to riches.

"Abaya had never known his parents, no-one ever knew where his unusual powers had come from. But, one day, when he and the king's son were duelling, Abaya sucked out his magic. Then, while the king's son was helpless, Abaya killed him as revenge for what he had done to Abaya's people.

"Abaya then went on to slaughter the entire royal family, taking their magic as his own. By the time he decapitated the pleading king, Abaya was so drunk on power that he forgot about his people. He took over our world, and all aliens have been suffering under his iron fist for so long… too long.

"So when we found Earth, with its freedom and natural resources, we knew it would be perfect. We had lived so miserably for so long, we didn't care.

"But then, The Ancient One had this prophecy. Just think, if we could get rid of Abaya, we wouldn't need Earth. Everyone would be happy."

Lucien leaned forward and kissed Ichigo's cheek, rising to his feet.

"Give him another chance, _ma chère_. He made a mistake. Don't blame him forever." Lucien said, before exiting through the door, leaving Ichigo more confused than ever.

* * *

"I've got a lock on her!" Ryou heard Keiichiro called excitedly from behind him. It had been a week since Ichigo had disappeared, and neither of them had wasted a second. Ryou was on his third cup of coffee for the day.

He slammed it down and raced over to the computer Keiichiro was working at. A green dot emanated circular signals, indicating that they had managed to get a lock on it. Throughout the week, they had barely gotten glimpses of the aliens' dimension. Now they had a foothold. Something they could hold onto. A beacon of hope.

 _I'm coming, Ichigo._ Ryou thought to himself, standing up. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

* * *

 **As you can see, this chapter contains some French. As I am working off one and a half years of high school French, the grammar may not be perfect :P If you speak French, please leave me a review or PM me to tell me how to fix _mes_ **_**erreurs.**_


	6. The Forgiveness

**Back again! This one's a little short, but I promise I've got a lot planned for chapter 7. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ichigo took a deep breath before knocking timidly on Kisshu's door. No time like the present, and this really needed to be done.

Ichigo had thought long and hard over the last night, tossing and turning in bed. She'd thought about what Lucien had said, about the King Abaya and the prophecy, but most of all she'd thought about what Kisshu had done.

Kisshu had used her, he had _lied_ to her. Ichigo wasn't just going to let that go. But… she could see why he'd done it. Lucien had told Ichigo of all the horrific things Abaya had done, things that Abaya was continuing to do. Ichigo could understand why that would drive anyone to do anything. Besides, it wasn't like Kisshu had any reason to be truthful. She thought this bitterly. He didn't owe her anything. Still… he could at least have had to decency to ask.

Ichigo wondered if she'd have voluntarily helped Kisshu if he'd asked, before all this had happened. No, she wouldn't have. She admitted this to herself with a heavy heart. She would have laughed in his face then kicked his ass.

Ichigo's thinking was interrupted by the door opening to a tired Kisshu, whose face went through a kaleidoscope of emotions, from wariness to hope. Ichigo forced a smile.

"Can we talk?" She asked. Kisshu's tired eyes lightened and he nodded, stepping to the side.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out straight away when they were both inside. Better to get out her meaning, rather than beating around the bush.

Kisshu looked taken aback. "Why?" He asked, genuinely seeming to be surprised by her outburst.

"For… for what I said yesterday. You didn't have a-" Kisshu cut her off.

"You're actually apologizing? To me?" Kisshu asked.

"Uh… Yeah? I thought that I probably should because-"

"No." Kisshu said, stopping Ichigo in the middle of her sentence. " _I'm_ the one who tricked you, _I'm_ the one who lied to you _, I'm_ the one who used you _. I'm_ the one who gets to make the apologies."

 _Kisshu_ , Ichigo thought, _egocentric until the bitter end._

Hearing the list of things that Kisshu had done wrong should have made Ichigo want to kill him, but instead… well… it didn't. A week ago she wouldn't have needed a reason to hate Kisshu forever. Now, she was looking for reasons to forgive him entirely.

"Kisshu…" Ichigo said. "Why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning? I wouldn't have-" She cut herself off.

A twisted smile formed on Kisshu's face. "You wouldn't have what? Blamed me? Hated me? Done anything that a rational person would do?" He laughed.

Ichigo grew annoyed. "I am _trying_ to make amends." She huffed. "You not making it any easier-"

"Oh yeah? Well maybe I don't _want_ to make amends!"

Ichigo's temper heated up. This was unusual, she hadn't felt it do this in days. Right now, she couldn't care less. Ichigo took one look at the stupid, smug smile on Kisshu faced and leapt at him.

Kisshu didn't waste any time, clearly expecting this to happen. He used her moments to swing himself on top of her as they hit the ground.

"What are you going to do now?" Kisshu asked, smugly. Ichigo threw him off her and stood up. She didn't wait for Kisshu to prepare himself, going after him straight away. She launched a punch at him, connecting harshly with his lower jaw.

Kisshu just grinned. "Is that all you got?" He taunted.

Ichigo was about to launch another punch as him when she realized, Kisshu wasn't upset with her. Kisshu was punishing himself - he thought that he deserved this. Ichigo's hand wobbled, before she put it to the side.

She couldn't believe it. She was able to control her power. To fight her temper instead of fighting Kisshu.

Ichigo grasped his hand. Kisshu began to pull away, so Ichigo hugged him.

This surprised Kisshhu, and he paused. Before this, any displays of affection between the two had been both initialized and maintained by Kisshu.

Ichigo began to laugh. She realized then how much she had missed Kisshu in the past day that they had both spent sulking in their rooms like children. She looked up into his eyes, and Kisshu, somehow, knew what she needed.

Ichigo let out a breath of air as Kisshu's lips touched her own. They barely grazed, Kisshu was hesitant, waiting to see if Ichigo would push him away. Needless to say, she didn't. Instead, she pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and stretching upwards to push their bodies closer together. Taking this as a sign of encouragement, Kisshu crushed Ichigo's body into his.

They could have been there for a minute, an hour, a year. Ichigo wouldn't have known or cared.

Ichigo wondered how long she had wanted to do this, certainly, they had been growing closer every day, as much as Ichigo tried to deny it to herself. But, Ichigo had lost count of the days back on Earth when she'd fallen asleep and dreamt about bright, yellow eyes.

Ichgo peeked out from under her eyelids, finding that they had closed themselves without being told to do so. She saw those bright eyes staring into her own. She grew shy, suddenly, even though she had never had a problem with that before, and broke off their kiss.

Kisshu's eyes had always shown so much mystery to her, and this time was no different.

"Kisshu…" Ichigo whispered. This was the only word that came to her mind.

"Ichigo… I'm- I'm sorry. I will never lie to you again." Kisshu said, and Ichigo believed him. Kisshu was not someone who apologized without a fight, and Ichigo could see that he was being sincere.

She wondered what would happen next, as she stared into Kisshu's eyes. Could she be with Kisshu? How much would she stand to lose?

A loud crack stole Ichigo from the confused but hopeful thoughts she'd been having. She and Kisshu looked to the right as the doors to the room opened to show four Mews with determined looks upon their faces.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! I have a lot planned for the next chapter, so stick around my lovely readers :) Don't forget to review!**


	7. The Mistake

**Hi again! Sorry it's been so long since the last update. School has started again and I have exams coming up :( Still, there's no better way to put off studying by writing fanfiction, right? heh heh**

 **Hope you enjoy, and happy Halloween!**

* * *

Ichigo felt hope run through her, immediately followed by a chill. What could the Mews be thinking? Coming to the aliens dimension?

She voiced this thought. "What the hell are you doing here?" Ichigo exclaimed. If the Mews were surprised by her outburst, they didn't show it.

"We're here for you, Ichigo." Lettuce said. Ichigo didn't know what to do. The Earth still existed, and needed her. Kisshu was strangely silent next to her.

She would never have thought this before, but Ichigo knew that if she wanted to return with the Mews, Kisshu wouldn't stop her. He wouldn't be happy about it, but the time for deception had passed. What Ichigo wanted to do now was her choice and no-one else's.

The Mews were silent, Ichigo would have expected Pudding to speak up by now. That girl had never been able to keep her mouth shut back on Earth. Then she realized… The Mews had never seen Ichigo as an alien before. Over the last week, Ichigo had grown used to her lengthened ears and enhanced senses, she had forgotten that they weren't normal.

Ichigo scanned their faces, and it was the faint look of horror on Mint's face that made her decision for her.

"No." She said.

"No?" Pudding echoed, her expression of shock replicated on the faces of the other Mews.

Ichigo shook her head. "I have- I need to stay here. It's complicated-"

"It's _complicated,_ Ichigo? It's _complicated_ , the reason that you're betraying us?" Mint sneered. "I think you'll find that it's not very _complicated_ at all! You're working with the enemy!" She declared.

"Ichigo, please." Pudding cried. "Ichigo, I miss you. We all miss you. Aoyama-kun misses you!" Ichigo hadn't thought about Aoyama-kun the entire time that she had been in the aliens' dimension. She had also only barely thought of the Mews… Ichigo felt bad, but then shook her head.

"Why won't you come with us, Ichigo?" Zakuro asked simply. "Is Mint correct? Do you work for the aliens now?" Zakuro had chosen her words carefully, not going outright and saying that Ichigo had become an alien. At first, Ichigo was grateful for this. Grateful for Zakuro not mentioning her new species.

But it _was_ her new species, and no amount of denying it would change that. Besides, Ichigo had gotten to know the aliens recently, their strengths and weaknesses, and had come to the realization that she was no longer ashamed to be an alien. She wouldn't let Zakuro, or _anyone_ mess with that.

Lettuce was the hardest to say no to. "Ichigo, we need you. Please don't feel like we'd abandon you for something that wasn't your choice. _Please don't abandon us_." Ichigo felt tears come to her eyes, and walked backwards quickly. Ichigo had an obligation to the aliens, she wasn't going to abandon them. The Mews could survive without her.

"It's true, then." Mint snatched every opportunity she saw. "You're leaving us. For _the aliens._ "

"Don't use that as an insult!" Ichigo snapped, finally speaking again. "You're not above them- you're not above _us_ , so don't act like you are."

"The aliens are going to destroy the Earth. Do you not care?" Zakuro shouted, finally losing her cool.

"No! No they're-" Ichigo tried to stop the emotions from heating up too much, but it was too late.

"RIBBON, MINT ECHO!" Ichigo didn't have time to process that _Mint_ was aiming an arrow at _her_ , another _Mew_ , before a blue arrow came flying at her. Kisshu knocked Ichigo out of the way before it hit her. He didn't seem nearly as surprised as she was.

Ichigo got up, and summoned her bow. "I suppose we see everyone's true colors when things get tough, hey Mint?" Ichigo snarled, finally losing her cool. She pointed her bow at Mint, but aimed slightly to the right. She didn't want to hurt Mint, no matter how much Mint wanted to hurt her. She just wanted to scare them off. The alien's dimension, the prophecy, it was all too dangerous for them. Why couldn't the Mews see that?

Her arrow flew past Mint's ear, neatly grazing the side. Enough that Mint would feel it and know that Ichigo wasn't joking around, but not enough to hurt her.

Mint looked up in rage. Mint and Ichigo had been the first Mews and, while they hadn't always gotten along, they'd had a bond. A bond that had been battered and beaten down the moment that Ichigo changed species.

"RIBBON MINT ECHO!"

"RIBBON ZAKURO SPEAR!"

"RIBBON PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"RIBBON LETTUCE RUSH!"

Ichigo should have known… she should have known this day would come. The Mews and Ichigo would never be on the same side again.

There was a second when Ichigo didn't know what she would do. Maybe she should have just stayed there. Let the Mews' attacks wash over her and end her life.

But she didn't.

Ichigo leapt to the side, drawing her bow and arrow as she did so. In quick succession she shot three arrows at Lettuce, Mint and Zakuro, making them leap out of the way.

Pudding stepped forward. "You can still change your mind!" The normally energetic child attempted, but even in doing so, prepared for attack. Even Pudding knew that it was hopeless.

Ichigo had a heavy heart as she aimed her bow at Pudding. "Go home, Pudding." She said.

"If that's your only answer, then you are the enemy of Earth, and I will fight you!" Pudding declared, even as tears poured from her eyes.

Ichigo took a deep breath and aimed her bow.

"NO! ICHIGO!" Ichigo looked up to the other side of the room. Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto were battling Mint, Lettuce and Zakuro, though with much less hesitance than Ichigo. It was Lettuce that had called, and Lettuce who was now sprinting across the room, stumbling over her feet but managing to find her way right between Ichigo and Pudding and right in the way of the arrow coming from Ichigo's bow and now settling in Lettuce's chest.

A scream echoed throughout the room. It wasn't until her lungs started hurting that Ichigo realized that she was the one making it.

Lettuce stood for a few seconds after the arrow lodged itself in her flesh, before collapsing. Ichigo stumbled forward, whether to go to her side or collapse next to her she didn't know, and didn't find out. Mint pushed her back with sagging arms and yelled at her from a tear-streaked face.

"Ichigo…" Lettuce's voice was raspy, but Ichigo would have known it anywhere.

Ichigo couldn't respond. What could she say?

"Ichigo… I… will always… consider you… my first real friend." Lettuce managed over the blood gushing up her throat and pooling in her mouth.

"Lettuce, I'm sorry, I-" Ichigo forced out of her dry lips, but Lettuce didn't hear it.

Lettuce would never hear anything again.

* * *

 **Just a note for your reviews, yes my preferred name is Satan :)**


	8. The Memories

**Welcome to chapter 8 of Now Full, Now Dark, also known as "What? You thought the pain was over? HAHAHA NOPE #TIME TO CRY"**

 **Have fun reading! (evil laughs)**

 **Also, I think that I finally have an uploading plan (yay). I'm unable to post as much as I used to, but I'm going to try and post every Sunday at 10 pm (that's in Australian time, but it should be sometime on Sunday for most of you). Hopefully I can stick to this :P**

 **Recap: Last chapter, the Mews came to the aliens' dimension and Ichigo accidentally killed Lettuce.**

* * *

Ichigo hadn't left her room in three days now.

Or or maybe it was four. Ichigo didn't know. She didn't particularly care, either.

The first day, her door had been knocked on every half-hour. Kisshu, Lucien, Taruto, all begging her to come out and talk. They'd stopped after about a day or so, when Ichigo didn't answer.

Since then, all that she had been interrupted from her thoughts by was Lettuce.

Lettuce was there constantly. It was curious how she had managed to stay there for so long without rotting. She was dead, after all. This Lettuce was just an illusion.

Or maybe Lettuce was never really dead, and this was real. Ichigo didn't know which story to believe. She knew which one she'd like to believe though.

"Ichigo," Lettuce - the _illusion_ of Lettuce - said. Her voice wasn't the scratchy one she'd had when she was dying. It was sweet and playful, like it had been in life.

"Hello, Lettuce." Ichigo responded. She knew that she should probably ignore Lettuce, but that wouldn't do any good. Lettuce would just keep bugging Ichigo until she gave in. Ichigo knew this from experience. Funny what you can pick up in three days.

"First friend." Lettuce said. It was easier just to refer to her as Lettuce, even though Ichigo knew - or tried her best to believe - that she wasn't.

Much of what Lettuce said was like this, fragments of her last words. Of course this was only most of the time. Other times, she was a little more coherent.

"Why did you kill me, Ichigo?" Lettuce said. It appeared that this was one of those times. Ichigo chose not to respond.

"I thought we were friends." the Lettuce replica said, mimicking Lettuce's iconic confused expression. Ichigo closed her eyes, though she couldn't block her ears. In an attempt to keep Lettuce out, Ichigo covered her ears with her hands, though this was useless. Lettuce's voice was in her head, in her mind, running through her veins and seeping through her skin and it was all around her and it always had been.

"You hurt Pai." Lettuce stated, forcing Ichigo to remember what had had after Lettuce - the _real_ Lettuce - had taken her final breath.

* * *

 _Lettuce's eyes didn't close at the last moment, like they do in movies. No, they stayed open, long after her ears had stopped hearing and her eyes had stopped seeing and her chest had stopped moving._

 _Pudding made a choked sound, but it was drowned out by a scream on the other side of the room. From what Ichigo could see through her tear-streaked eyes, everyone had stopped fighting. Kisshu , Taruto and Zakuro simply stared, with their guard down, but Pai was running hysterically towards Lettuce's body. He dropped down at her side, weeping. Mint didn't try to stop him or push him, like she had Ichigo. Ichigo couldn't care less._

* * *

Lettuce looked at Ichigo, whose mind was at the same time blank and filled with memories.

"Pai cared about me, and you hurt him." Lettuce said. "But you didn't care. You ran away." Lettuce tilted her head. She reminded Ichigo of Lettuce more than ever.

"I thought we were friends. Don't you care about me, Ichigo?" Lettuce repeated her earlier statement. "Mint cared about me. Zakuro cared about me. Pudding cared about me."

* * *

 _Maria, the young alien, went to Pai. He stood up, and went with her as she lead him to the door. As they left, Maria shot a poisonous look at Ichigo, a stark contrast to her sweet, youthful features._

 _Ichigo looked up again. Mint and Pudding were sobbing, not caring if the aliens saw. The Mews had been fractured when Ichigo had left, but they would have shakily recovered. With this new development, they had been shattered. There was no more going back._

 _Ichigo, though she hated to admit it to herself, was glad when they started to gather up the body. Horrible though it was, she wouldn't be able to stand seeing it another time. She wasn't even sure that she would be able to stand living with the knowledge that the world had lost one of the most precious souls it had, and it was all Ichigo's fault._

 _The door that the Mews had entered through a million years ago was still open, and it creaked as Zakuro widened it and the Mews carried Lettuce out. Pudding didn't look back. Zakuro did, but only for a second, briefly nodding at Ichigo before fixing her eyes away._

 _Mint's rage was dulled only by her despair as she said, "You are a monster, Ichigo. Lettuce didn't see that until it was too late. We won't make the same mistake." And she turned to leave, following Pudding, Zakuro and Lettuce._

* * *

"You remember. You didn't want to see me anymore. You didn't care about me anymore. You wanted me gone." Lettuce said. "Don't you care about me, Ichigo?"

Every word that she said was a dagger, sharpened by the bitter memories. The filled up every bit of her heart, until it was made from grief and hate. Ichigo couldn't breathe, and was helpless as Lettuce took her back through more memories that she didn't want to remember.

* * *

 _Ichigo looked up and saw that Kisshu had somehow moved across the room and was grasping her hand, concern in his eyes. Concern for_ her _, even after everything that she'd done._

 _She couldn't deal with this right now. She couldn't deal with this ever. Ichigo pulled her hand from Kisshu's, shaking her head. He let her go, even though Ichigo could see how much it pained him to do so._

 _Ichigo walked backwards a few steps, then turned around when she couldn't stand to see Kisshu's face anymore._

 _She didn't deserve him. She wasn't worthy of him, not after what she'd done._

 _Kisshu didn't deserve a murderer._

 _Thaddeus and Taturo's eyes accused Ichigo with every movement she made. Ichigo cast her eyes down, though she could feel their gazes boring into her back._

 _Ichigo began to run, out of fear that her body would break down before she got to the door and got away from the pool of blood still left where Lettuce had been. No one moved to stop her. She didn't stop._

* * *

"You ran away. Don't you care about me, Ichigo?" Lettuce repeated, with her eyes still curious and youthful. Too young to be dead.

"I- I care." Ichigo said, unable to help herself. Lettuce's soft lips curved, knowing that she was getting through. She was hurting Ichigo.

"Why did you run away? Why don't you care about me, Ichigo?" Lettuce asked.

Ichigo started to reply, "Lettuce, I-", when she heard a knock on the door followed by a familiar voice.

"Ichigo? Who are you talking to?" Kisshu said. He must have been in the hallway, listening for a sound from her.

Ichigo didn't respond. Lettuce did. "You're hurting Kisshu." She said. "You hurt everyone. Don't you care about Kisshu, Ichigo? Don't you care about me, Ichigo?

"You shouldn't talk to him. You'll only hurt him. Like you hurt me. Don't you care about me, Ichigo?" Lettuce continued. And, as always, she was right.

"Ichigo? Can I come in?" Kisshu called. Both of them talking, it was too much. It was too much. It was too much.

"Don't let him in, Ichigo. You're a murderer. You hurt me. You hurt him. Don't you care about me, Ichigo?" Lettuce said, her gentle voice becoming grating.

"Ichigo! I know you can hear me!" Kisshu said, his voice desperate.

It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much. It was too much.

Ichigo's emotions grew, and grew. Despair and anger and fear mixed in with hopelessness. They burst out of her in the form of flames. The impact knocked Ichigo down onto her bed.

She saw smoke, and dancing red flames. Lettuce hissed and was thrown backwards.

"Ichigo! ICHIGO!" Her door burst open, but Ichigo was unconscious long before that

* * *

 **I** ** _was_** **planning to upload what happens next in the same chapter... but why waste such a perfect cliffhanger? Don't worry, my lovely readers, there's still plenty of pain left for chapter 9 :)**


	9. The Memories - 2

**Yet another painful chapter! Yay!**

 **Next week's chapter might be a couple days (weeks) late. Why? Because this week is EXAMS week! *dies***

 **Recap: Last episode, Ichigo was visited by a dead Lettuce and everything exploded. That... sounded better in my head.**

* * *

Kisshu saw her bubble-gum pink hair a second before he saw her, sprawled out unconscious on her bed. Ichigo was almost hidden by the flames. He raced over and checked her pulse, still breathing.

Quickly, Kisshu picked Ichigo up, careful not to let her get hurt by the fire currently swallowing up Ichigo's room.

How the hell had the fire even started? A powerful alien could do it, if he or she really wanted to, but he couldn't see Ichigo setting her own room on fire, not on purpose, anyway. Of course, if it wasn't on purpose, that would mean she'd have to do it subconsciously, which was literally impossible. The amount of power that would take would burn out an alien's body from the inside.

Besides, she would have to be provoked to set her room on fire, and what could cause her to do that? She'd just been sitting there alone.

Pai and Taruto rushed past Kisshu as he brought Ichigo into the hallway. He set her upon two chairs. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but he doubted she would mind, given the state she was in. He needed to go and help Pai and Taruto quickly.

When he arrived back at the room, more than a quarter of it was flame-free. As none of them had the power to create water, and no fire extinguishers existed in the aliens' dimension, they were teleporting to and from the room, carrying buckets of water. Quickly, he joined in.

Unfortunately, they didn't get far. As Kisshu emptied his first bucket of water, he uncovered something he had never seen before.

A twisting, demon-like creature rose from where it was hiding, hissing. It was entirely black and purple - or, at least, it had been. When Kisshu, blinked, it changed form. From a hideous, towering creature to a young alien girl. It was Ichigo.

"Kisshu." Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, what are you-? How did you get here?" Kisshu stuttered, he had just seen Ichigo unconscious. How could she be here? And how did she get here without him noticing?

"Don't you care about me, Kisshu?" Ichigo asked, a hurt expression on her face.

"Yes, I care about you, Ichigo. Why would you think that I didn't?" Kisshu responded, confused.

"You tricked me." Ichigo said. "You hurt me. You betrayed me. Don't you care about me, Kisshu?"

"Ichigo, I-" His task forgotten, Kisshu dropped his bucket and stared at her. "Of course I do, Ichigo."

"Then why did you change me? Wasn't I good enough already? Why did you trick me? Why did you hurt me? Why did you betray me? Don't you care about me, Kisshu?"

"Ichigo, it wasn't my choice. I'm sorry, Ichigo, I'm so sorry-"

"You hurt me. You don't deserve me. You don't deserve any of this. Don't you care about me, Kisshu?"

"Ichigo-" Kisshu stopped, Ichigo was right. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve anything.

"You shouldn't stop this fire. You should join it. You don't deserve any of this. Don't you care about me, Kisshu?"

Ichigo was right. Ichigo was entirely right. He didn't deserve anything. He shouldn't put out the fire.

"Don't you care about me, Kissh-" Ichigo was stopped before she could finish her question.

"No, Ichigo! I do care-" Kisshu was stopped mid-sentence when he saw the dagger sticking out of Ichigo's chest, but no blood.

Looking up, he saw Pai standing behind Ichigo, holding a dagger that was lodged in her chest.

Ichigo smiled. Not her sweet, caring smile. A different smile. A dark, malevolent smile. She laughed.

"I guess the game is up, then." She said, only it wasn't Ichigo anymore. It was the demon-like creature he had seen before. Kisshu was unable to move. Pai cursed under his breath, then raced forward and knocked Kisshu out of the way of the giant, misty fist slamming down where he was a second ago.

"Wha-" Kisshu stammered before Pai pushed him back.

"Go!" He said, before yelling. "Fuu rei sen!"

He got it in one hit, the creature screamed and writhed, before dissipating into nothing. Pai sighed in relief, then turned to Kisshu.

"Are you OK? How deep did it go?" Pai demanded.

Kisshu shook his head. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't you know what that thing was?" Pai asked. He sighed in annoyance at Kisshu's lack of response. "It was a zaia, short for zaiaku-kan akuma. A guilt demon."

Kisshu shook his head. "I don't understand. What did it do?"

Pai said, "It's one of Abaya's creations. It looks into your soul and finds what you're guilty of. It shows you what you're most ashamed of, and helps that guilt overwhelm you with poor copies of people you feel you've betrayed." He looked pointedly at Kisshu. "I heard you say 'Ichigo'."

Kisshu nodded, not sure what else to do. He couldn't believe he'd been fooled by this.

Pai looked sympathetic. "What you did wasn't wrong. You did it for a good cause. The universe will thank you for this." Suddenly, he looked up, alarmed. "Speaking of Ichigo, that zaia was probably in there long before we arrived. I'd suspect it's been there for days."

Kisshu realized what Pai meant. He whispered to himself, "Ichigo…"

"This could be a problem." Pai said, "Zaias make people feel so guilty that they kill themselves, then they feed on the body. They're not very strong physically, but they can get inside your mind. Being left alone with one for three days… Who knows what that could do."

Kisshu pondered this in silence, until his thoughts were interrupted by a young voice.

"Great helping, guys. I really appreciate it." Taruto said sarcastically from behind them, putting out the last of the flames. Clearly, Taruto had not seen the drama unfolding before them.

As he turned to look at Taruto, Kisshu reassured himself with the fact that Ichigo was still alive. He knew her body was still intact, but he could only hope that the same was true for her mind…

* * *

 **Well... that happened. But the zaia is good and dead, and the actual story (the prophecy one) should continue next chapter. Now the only thing I have to worry about is my exams... *cries***

 **As always, thank you for your support with your reviews, favorites and follows. See you next week(ish)!**


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